Sochi Olympic Athletes Reveal Their Most Bizarre Pre-Comp Rituals

There's an interesting saying in the world of sports: any activity is 10% physical and 90% mental. Basically, physical training can only take you so far. The rest is about how you're able to get in the zone with your mind.

Now imagine what it's like trying to do that when you're representing your country while competing against the world's best. Olympic athletes undergo years of rigorous physical training usually leading up to one fleeting moment during competition, so you can bet your lucky pair of boxers that they get creative in order to secure that extra edge of psychological personal reassurance. Whether it's a superstition, a ritual or a good luck charm, they're not to be taken lightly.

"Once warm-up is done, it especially gets a little OCD," says Team Canada men's bobsledder Justin Kripps during a break from training at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games. Before a race, the four-man team pilot admits to sniffing peppermint oil to clear his head, walking out of the "start house" and specifically clapping his hands twice, followed by talking to his sleds like they're wild stallions. "I talk to them a bit about going fast, but letting me stay in control."

Kripps' bobsledding teammate James McNaughton also makes sure to adhere to a routine of comfort, which includes listening to a self-made country music playlist. "It brings me back home," says the Ontario-born athlete. Before events, Canadian women's half-pipe snowboarder Alexandra Duckworth sticks to a culinary ritual that involves funneling two gallons of coffee. "Mum holds the funnel," she says. "Dad does the pour."

While having a mental edge is crucial when it comes to competition, Team Canada sports psychologist Dr. Peter Jensen believes that a small routine is fine — until it turns into a superstition. "A superstition implies that 'if I can't do something, it will lead to something bad or at least make me less effective,'" says Jensen. "I'm never concerned if someone has some small ritual like putting on their left skate before their right skate, but I do get concerned when they feel that if they don't to this, it will affect their performance, because now you're creating something that can fall outside of your control."